These are strange times for those in the news business, as public trust and
confidence in the news media have eroded.

By a measure of their own assessment, “journalists perceive they
are now struggling to maintain the public’s trust.” Moreover, “91 percent
of journalists believe that the media is somewhat or much less trusted than
they were three years ago.”

That’s according to the
2017 State of the Media Report
by Cision, which surveyed some
1,500 journalists in the U.S. and Canada. This report is an annual event,
and the vast majority of respondents were affiliated with traditional media
outlets.

The Cision report says the findings align with the
2017 Edelman Trust Barometer. That study found “the general population’s trust in all four key
institutions—business, government, NGOs, and media—has declined broadly.”

In reviewing the State of the Media report, we noted several key factors
for PR and
corporate communications, including the following:

1. Getting it right matters more than getting it first.

For a long time being the first outlet to report a story mattered
more than anything else. Today that’s just not the case, as 92 percent of
respondents said getting the facts right mattered most.

Few, if any, news outlets can compete with the instantaneity of
Twitter for breaking news, and the risk of spreading misinformation is far too great to try to keep
up. PR pros, to the extent that credible internal experts can help a
reporter and their audience, can break down and process an emerging issue.
This affords you time for a more thoughtful response.

A pitch is certainly one way of getting the word out, but email inboxes are
crowded. Owned media channels, such as
corporate blogging, are excellent alternatives. Good content earns your company a spot in the
search index, which
reporters do check for sources. In addition, the public nature of blogging means your organization stands
behind those words, which matters in attributing sources.

2. Email is still the preferred pitching channel.

Most reporters prefer that PR pitching or outreach is conducted by email,
rather than by phone or through social media. The Cision survey found that
“92 percent of journalists and influencers prefer email pitches.”

Reporters have preferred email for many years because phone calls often
disrupt their workflow. However, you can and should pick up the phone when
you have something urgent or specific, but be considerate; the journalist
you’re phoning could be on deadline.

Remember though: Good ideas usually supersede the means of conveyance.

3. A good reputation helps sell a story.

According to the survey, “more than half of respondents said displaying
knowledge of past work, interests and beats is what drove an influencer or
journalist to pursue a story.” Often this means that a reporter wants
evidence of previous media citations or historical body of work.

In other words, journalists want credible sources with a proven record of
public trust. This is a good case for contributing content to reputable
trade publications or
helping an expert build a body of work
on the corporate blog or another owned media channel.

The work has to be solid, which requires proper and diligent attribution of
research statistics and clear disclosure of conflicts.